Brothers In Arms
by Iceshadow911247
Summary: Having been born and raised on Marine and Army bases, Joseph and Drake Connors are completely used to drills and regulations, yelling drill sergeants and boot camps. But giant alien robots? Even that can surprise war hardened soldiers. What started off as a simple convoy mission turned to a battle, and definitely not the kind the two brothers were used to, or even expecting.
1. Convoy

**What's this? An actual update from me? And a story, none-the-less? Anyways, this is in the TFP Universe and takes place during the episode 'Convoy'.**

**And please leave a review and favorite/follow! (I will respond to each review in the chapters afterwords.)**

***\./*\./*\./***

Joseph Connors, 28, and his younger brother, Drake Connors, 26, both of them Marines, waited silently in Special Agent Fowler's office, both unsure why, though Joseph suspected it was about some prank his younger brother had pulled. There was five minutes of silence before Agent Fowler came in and sat at his desk.

"Do you know why I've brought you two here?" He asked.

"No, but I suppose it has something to do with some prank Drake put together?" Joseph raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"No," Drake huffed. "I haven't pulled any pranks…. Yet."

Fowler rolled his eyes. "No, it's because I've been looking through your reports," He motioned to two manila folders on his desk, "And I've found out you two are the best candidates for a job I have in mind." Drake looked at him curiously, while Joseph, the more serious sibling, raised an eyebrow.

"Have you boys heard of any rumors about giant robots?" Fowler asked.

Joseph nodded. "We've heard rumors from the Air Force soldiers, but that's it..."

"And we've learned not to really listen to anything the Air Force guys say…" Drake nodded, as well.

"Well, we're transporting a nuclear device to another base, and that's how we're getting it there. I want you two to come and help, just in case." Fowler explained. The two brothers were silent for a bit.

"So… how to giant robots fit into this?" Drake asked.

"You'll understand soon."

_*That Afternoon*_

Joseph and Drake stood on the tarmac, looking around.

"It's _hot_." Drake grumbled. Joseph nodded; Nevada was a lot different than Missouri. They had originally been staying at a small military in base in Missouri after they had received word they'd be moving, but neither of them expected it to be in Nevada. "What time did Agent Fowler say he'd be here?" He adjusted his sunglasses.

Joseph checked his watch, which read 2:36 PM. "Sometime today."

Around five minutes later, both brothers noticed a strange convoy of vehicles; a red and blue Peterbuilt semi, a blue motorcycle, a yellow and black Camaro, and a green vehicle similar to an SUV. Each vehicle pulled up in a line, and Agent Fowler stepped out of the semi.

"Boys, I'd like you to meet the Autobots." Fowler walked towards them. As he finished his sentence, the four vehicles suddenly started shifting and, within moments, the four vehicles were now metal humanoid figures. Drake's jaw dropped instantly, while Joseph lifted up his sunglasses to see better, his eyebrows raised halfway up his forehead.

"I didn't think you were serious!" Drake glanced at Fowler before looking back before him. Joseph stood in shocked silence.

"This is Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Arcee, and their leader, Optimus Prime." The agent introduced them.

Joseph looked at his brother. "... Looks like the Air Force rumors were right."

"Anyways, the 'Bots are here to help transport a Dynamic Nuclear Generation System, or 'Dingus', for short." Fowler began. "My plane was shot down, and I needed help finishing the job."

"What are we here for, then?" Drake asked curiously.

"Extra security." With that statement, the Dingus was loaded up quickly into Optimus Prime's trailer, along with Arcee for more protection. "Joseph, you'll be with me and Prime. Drake, you'll go with Bulkhead." Drake nodded and headed towards the moss green SUV. Joseph followed the agent and sat in the passenger seat of the semi's cab, feeling awkward as to sit in a living machine. Once they were on the road, there was silence before Fowler tried to make small talk.

"So, where are you two from? I only glanced through your military files, not the personal ones."

"Small town in Missouri." Joseph put on a pair of sports sunglasses to block the sun shining through the windshield. ** (If you want specifics, Polaroid Scott Sport Sunglasses.)**

"Parents?"

"Military parents. Drake and I were born on a military base before we had to go to Missouri for schooling and such." The 28-year old shrugged.

"So… got a special girl at home?"

Joseph paused for a few moments before speaking. "… No." After his answer, there was more silence until Fowler put his hands on the steering wheel.

"Ah-a, no need, Agent Fower. I will handle the driving." Optimus' voice rumbled through the radio, causing Joseph to jump slightly in surprise.

"… It's going to be a long trip." Fowler crossed his arms. Joseph chuckled silently and checked the time on his phone, which read 2:59 PM. There was more silence, in which Fowler tried to convince Optimus to turn on the radio, which was a completely failed endeavor. After more silence, Fowler and Optimus started a discussion on whether there had been any other evil on Earth before the 'Decepticons' came, in which Joseph voiced his confusion. After a quick explanation of the Autobots' enemies, Fowler was cut off when he peered through the side window of the driver's seat.

"That's the one! The 'Con who shot me down! Who is he? Wingnut, Dingbat, Skyguy?" He peered at it. Joseph leaned over and just barely spotted a helicopter.

"Optimus, we got five tailgate-rs." Bulkhead's voice came through the radio. Joseph rolled down his window and leaned out, Fowler copying the action, and both men spotted five green sport cars behind the convoy.

"Maintain cover and stay in vehicular mode." Optimus commanded to the others. One of the cars suddenly pulled up beside Optimus' cab and the window rolled down to reveal a masked man, who pointed a gun at Fowler. Joseph's hand immediately shot to the inside of his jacket and pulled out the pistol he tended to carry around and quickly leaned in front of Fowler, pointing the pistol at the masked man. Both men holding guns were distracted when the Autobot by the name of Bumblebee flipped one of the other cars, but Joseph's attention shot back to the cars when another drove up beside Optimus. Joseph quickly fired a bullet at the first car's tire and it veered away a short distance and the window rolled up.

"You carry a pistol?" Fowler asked Joseph as he leaned back.

"Sorry, forgot to tell you." He rolled down his own window and leaned his front half out the window to look at the others. When he turned back, he found Fowler to be gone. Joseph quickly moved to the other side of the cab just in time to see Fowler climb in the area between the trailer and Optimus' cab. Thinking quickly, Joseph opened the door and edged very carefully along the side of the cab before shuffling between the trailer and cab. He managed to catch sight of Fowler grabbing one of them asked men by the collar before the man jumped to the side and back to one of the sports cars. The man didn't have much time for relief before Optimus suddenly veered and knocked the car off the side of the mountain road.

_***With Drake and Bulkhead***_

"… Yep. It's about to hit the fan." Drake straightened as he watched the car was shoved off the road. He unbuckled his seat belt and pulled out his pistol, rolling down the window.

"What are you _doing_?" Bulkhead instantly asked.

"Helping." Drake innocently replied before leaning out the window and firing a few bullets at the tires of the nearest green sports car. He managed to hit one of the tires, and it popped instantly, the driver swerving for only a moment before regaining control. While Drake was distracted with the car beside them, another drove up and blasted the back of Optimus' trailer open, in which Arcee jumped out in her motorcycle mode and flip the car back, which landed on the one Drake had shot at, causing an explosion as Bulkhead veered away.

"Drake had quickly leaned back away from the explosion, ducking down. After a few moments he sat back up and rubbed his forehead. "Thank goodness; still have both eyebrows."

"Get back buckled, we're getting close the rendezvous point." Bulkhead said quickly. Drake nodded and sat back in the driver's seat. Drake dug his nails into the seat cushion as Bulkhead suddenly veered off the road and down a sharp ditch, following the others alongside a train track, where a train was clattering along, and into a tunnel. Drake glanced behind him as Bulkhead collapsed the tunnel behind them and the train before catching up with the others. He watched through the semi darkness of the tunnel as Bumblebee, now in his regular form, jumped onto the top of the train and shifted the Dingus inside the rail car. His eyes widened as he spotted a form jumping from Optimus' cab and into the rail car, and recognized his brother.

"Mind speeding up so I can join Joseph?" Drake asked. Though he was a little unsure, Bulkhead obliged and pulled up near the rail car. Drake opened the passenger door and timed his jump correctly, landing in the rail car. Joseph looked in surprise and helped him to his feet. "Thanks." He nodded to his brother and glanced over his shoulder as Bumblebee shut the rail car door.

Joseph moved forward and inspected the Dingus curiously, but didn't touch it.

"Wonder what it does…" Drake mused, moving forward. Joseph was about to speak when he looked at his brother and noticed Drake was outlined in a blue green light. He straightened, eyes narrowed, as a swirling vortex of the same colored light took form at the other end of the rail car. Two teenagers appeared from in, and all four looked at each other in complete confusion. The teenage girl was the first to speak.

"Who are you!?" She stared.

"Did they just come out of a swirling green blue thing of air!?" Drake stared at his brother.

The other teenager spoke, an older male. "Woah, woah; who are you two?"

"Fowler didn't say this would happen!" Drake stared at the two teenagers.

"Wait, you know Fowler?" The teenage boy spoke.

"Yes, he called us in for this mission. Who are you?" Joseph spoke.

"I'm Miko, and this is Jack." The girl spoke. "We know Fowler, too."

Joseph nodded. "Alright…"

"Is no one going to talk about what just happened!?" Drake gestured with his arms towards the two teenagers. "That green thing that they appeared out of!?"

The girl named Miko pointed to Joseph's pistol, which he was holding. "Cool." Joseph rolled his eyes and jumped, startled, when cut lines started to appear in the roof of the rail car.

"Well, looks like we got company." Drake pulled out his own pistol. Miko picked up a fire axe and Jack picked up a fire extinguisher. The two brothers glanced at each other, but said nothing, and aimed their pistols at the roof of the rail car. Joseph fired a bullet at one of the tools cutting the rail car, and it stopped, but only for a moment before the cutting started again. The roof was peeled back and a handful of the masked men looked down at them. Joseph and Drake immediately opened fire, aiming for legs and torsos to avoid killing anyone. Completely taken by surprise of the sudden gunfire, a few of the goons leaned out of sight, but one grabbed a gun and shot at Joseph, managing to land a bullet in his shoulder. Joseph stumbled back and clutched his shoulder, which instantly started to bleed. Drake shot a few more rounds with a vengeance when the masked men suddenly disappeared out of sight. Both Jack and Miko were staring with wide eyes at Joseph's blood soaked shoulder. Drake heard a faint explosion and opened the rail car door, peering ahead to see the tracks blown out.

"Son of a bi-!" He cut himself off and looked at the others. "We may have to jump for it. Tracks are blown out."

"Joy." Joseph groaned and leaned slightly out to look. Both Marines suddenly jumped back as Optimus sped past the rail car and grabbed the front of the train, digging his heels into the ground to force the train to a stop. There were a few painstaking moments as the train neared the broken tracks, but was finally stopped. The two teenagers behind them sighed in instant relief. Drake jumped down onto the ground first, followed by Jack, Miko, and then Joseph, who gritted his teeth harshly as the landing jolted through his legs and shoulders.

"Alright, let me take a look at your shoulder." Drake turned to his brother. Joseph painfully shrugged off his jacket, the left side of his white t-shirt soaked in red blood. "Great…" The younger brother grimaced. Drake glanced behind him slightly as he heard Optimus walk up behind him.

"Are you all alright?" The mech asked.

"We're fine." Miko motioned to herself and Jack. "Not so sure about that guy." She pointed to Joseph.

"What happened?" The Prime knelt down and peered at Joseph.

Joseph shrugged his uninjured arm. "I got shot." He said nonchalantly. The other Autobots soon arrived, along with Fowler, who looked in Joseph's arm in shock.

"They shot you?" He asked, walking forward.

"Doesn't hurt that bad." The pain in his shoulder had been reduced to a dull, throbbing pain.

"We'll get you fixed up; sorry it happened."

Joseph shrugged. "It could've been worse. I could've been shot in the head, or chest."

"… Now what?" Drake asked.

"Well, now that those M.E.C.H goons are gone, the 'Bots and I will finish the job, while you four will go back to base." Fowler answered.

"Base?" Joseph and Drake echoed. A few moments later, another of the green blue vortex's opened up nearby, and Miko and Jack headed through. Drake and Joseph paused before shrugging and following at a more cautious pace.

"Well… this was an eventful day." Joseph.

"Met some giant robots, had a gun fight, saw some explosions, you got shot; yep." Drake nodded. "I'd say so." The two brothers followed the teenagers, each going silent in their own thoughts as they walked through the vortex that led to who knows where.


	2. Shadowzone

**eAN: Alrighty, before we get started, me lovelies, I must ask a favor of you. I have a good friend on here by the name of CatGirlFireflare, and I would really appreciate it if you would check out her story 'A Con Called Caterwaul' and its sequel 'Caterwaul Two: Shattered Sanity'. Go read! The author commands you!**

**And I'm really sorry how this took so long to get uploaded. High school's a glitch.**

**This chapter has also skipped to 'Shadowzone'.**

**REVIEWS:**

**Kurotora-Wolfy: Yes, Joseph got shot. 'Tis only a flesh wound. -u- And you shall receive more! **

**Transformerspup246: YOU SHALL KNOW MORE!**

**CatGirlFireflare: Yes, Marines! I thought it would be a unique way to add them in. And you're the only person that's mentioned Joseph's hesitation. ^^ Have a virtual energon cookie. And yes, an actually legit injury! It would have made the series more realistic if anyone had gotten cut or anything. And there won't be many curse words; if there are, they will all be cut off. **_**(Drake: One must have both eyebrows for catch all the ladies. ;) )**_

***\./*\./\./***

Joseph and Drake looked around in surprise once they walked through the swirling vortex. On the other side, a large hanger awaited them. In the center of the hanger was a catwalk surrounding a very large consol, and a red and white figure, much like the Autobots, stood with his back turned to the vortex. The two teenagers ahead of them were already heading up the catwalk.

"Uh… sup?" Drake called. The red and white figure turned around in surprise, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Who are they?" He instantly looked at the two teenagers named Jack and Miko.

"Uh…" Miko paused.

"I'm Drake, and this is my brother, Joseph. He… kind of needs some help." Drake motioned to Joseph's shoulder. The mech looked at them with an expression which could only be described as someone raising an eyebrow.

"We were called in for help from Agent Fowler." Joseph explained, rolling his shoulders out of reflex, which he instantly regretted and winced.

"This is Ratchet, the Autobots' medic." Jack motioned to the red and white mech.

"CMO." Ratchet scoffed lightly and corrected him, and then knelt down and peered at Joseph's arm. "What happened?"

"Gunshot wound." Joseph glanced at his shoulder.

"From what I can tell, the bullet didn't hit any bones or anything, and it went straight through. It should just need some cleaning and bandaging." Drake peered at it.

"And do you have any medical training?" Ratchet looked at him.

"I took a course about basic medical training in college, and then I had another course while in the Marines." He shrugged.

"Can we talk about this after my shoulder isn't bleeding?" Joseph grimaced.

"I'm not sure there's much I can do… I don't exactly have the tools for human health care." Ratchet stood.

"Wait, there's a first aid kit around here, somewhere." Miko darted off. She brought one up to Drake a few minutes later.

"Thank you." He nodded thankfully at her before opening it and looking through it. "Gauze, rubbing alcohol, bandages, antibiotic stuff… that should be good." Drake had Joseph take off his shirt so he could look at the gunshot wound. His three tattoos were visible; one his right bicep was the Marines' Corps patch, on his left bicep was what looked like a name tattooed in calligraphy, and the last tattoo was of a large cross and thorned crown on his back, with the bible scripture Romans 12: 2 between his shoulder blades. Drake took the rubbing alcohol and used it to clean the wound and the blood, which caused Joseph to grimace and grit his teeth. He then put the antibiotics on the gauze and stuck it to the gunshot wound and then wrapped the bandages around his upper arm and shoulder.

"Thanks." Joseph nodded as he put his shirt back on.

"No problem." Drake headed towards the catwalk, his brother following.

"So… you're just going to walk it off?" Both brothers looked up as they heard a new voice. A preteen about maybe 12 peered down at him, adjusting his glasses.

"… Yep." Joseph nodded. Drake had climbed up the stairs to the catwalk.

"Before this gets awkward, what's your name?" Drake asked the preteen, leaning against the railing of the catwalk.

"Rafael, or Raf for short."

"Nice to meet you." Joseph nodded and came to stand beside his brother. "I'm Joseph, and this is my younger brother, Drake."

"So... how'd you two meet Fowler?" Jack asked. Drake answered before Joseph could.

"We got pulled into his office from our platoons and he said we'd be 'extra security' while transporting that… nuclear reactive thing."

"Dingus." Ratchet corrected him.

"Yeah." He nodded. Noticing that Drake didn't explain their situation with much depth, Joseph took over the explaining.

"We grew up on an army base. Our parents were in the military." Joseph began, crossing his arms painfully. "Drake and I are both a part of the Marines, and we've both gone overseas in short terms."

"Have you ever seen explosions?" Miko asked instantly. Both brothers nodded. "Awesome!"

"Well..." Joseph sighed. "It wasn't always awesome. This may sound dark, but it got pretty bad." And that was all he said on the subject; no need to scare them.

Miko butted in. "Are you guys in the 'Army Strong' commercials?" Joseph shook his head.

"There's strong, and then there's Army strong. Lucky for them, they still have us Marines." Drake grinned. This got a grin from the three teenagers.

"Wow…." Joseph sighed and hit his palm to his face.

"Speaking of Marines, is that the Marine symbol on your arm?" Raf pointed to the Marine Corps badge tattoo on Joseph's bicep.

"Yes. The one on my back is a cross with a thorned crown and a Bible verse at the bottom, since I'm of the Christian faith." He shrugged, and Drake nodded approvingly.

"Who's name do you have on your other arm, then?" Miko peered at his other tattoo. Joseph put on his jacket, hiding the tattoo.

"… It's nothing." His answer was greeted with awkward silence and slightly disbelieving looks.

"Do you have tattoos?" Miko looked at Drake, who nodded.

"I have the same Marine Corps tattoo on my right arm, as well. I've also got a cross on my back, but it's a different style and a different Bible verse; Jeremiah 20: 9. Anyways…" Drake turned to Ratchet and motioned towards the tunnel in the wall that they had walked out of. "Can someone please explain to me whatever that… green vortex was? If not, I'm just going to assume it's gypsy magic and move on with my life."

"… Gypsy magic?" Ratchet gave him another annoyed glance.

"It's a groundbridge. It's what the Autobots use to get to place to place." Raf answered.

"See? That was the answer I was looking for." Drake motioned to Raf with his arm while still looking at Ratchet. "I didn't need a condescending look." The comment only made Ratchet scowl worse at Drake.

"Sorry about him." Joseph cuffed his brother upside the head.

"Hey!" Drake rubbed the back of his head, faking a whine. Joseph sighed and rolled his eyes, unfazed; it was going to be an interesting rest of the day.

***\./*\./*\./***

That next day, both brothers had gotten the rundown of what they'd be doing around the base; most of it would be assisting the humans and making sure they didn't go anywhere they shouldn't; basically, like babysitters. The three kids went to school during the week, and their guardians picked them up; Fowler explained that Joseph and Drake would occasionally go with them. After their quick rundown of the association Fowler worked at, Sector E, both Joseph and Drake were groundbridged back and forth between Nevada and Missouri, filling out paperwork with their old base and finalizing their moving. There was a small base in Nevada near the Autobots', where the two would be staying. Their transportation would be, for Drake, a motorcycle, and for Joseph, a truck, both provided by the military, in which each brother had no objection to that decision. After getting settled in at the other base and undergoing every little procedure that was, unfortunately, needed, both brothers headed to the Autobots' base about three days later. Joseph sped into the base first and parked near the entrance. Drake came second and ungracefully slid from his motorcycle and stumbled.

"I'm pretty sure there's a big bug somewhere in the back of my throat!" Drake coughed. Joseph rolled his eyes and moved over to the base of the catwalk, Drake setting his motorcycle against the wall and doing the same.

"Where'd you get the motorcycle?" Miko asked.

"Fowler." Drake answered.

"What? I want a motorcycle!" She complained.

"You don't need a motorcycle." Her guardian, Bulkhead, rolled his optics. The rest of the Autobots, minus Arcee, walked through a groundbridge as they arrived.

"Where are they going?" Joseph raised an eyebrow.

"Dark energon signal. Most likely Megatron." Arcee answered.

"Ah." Joseph nodded and glanced around. "I'm going to explore, if you don't mind. Drake, call my phone if you need anything." He took off at a brisk jog down one of the hallways. Drake shrugged lightly and started to walk up the catwalk when he noticed Miko sprinting after the Autobots, Raf and Jack following. His eyes widened and he quickly followed, but he wasn't fast enough to catch them before they went through the groundbridge, and was forced to follow. He paused once he was through and quickly spotted the others behind an outcropping, dodging with them.

"What are you three doing!?" He stared at them.

"Don't look at us! She was the one who made a run for it!" Jack pointed at Miko, who rolled her eyes. Drake shook his head and peered over the rocks, looking beyond the Autobots.

"…. Who is _that_?" He looked at a thin Cybertronian who appeared to have jet wings on his back.

"His name is Starscream; he's second in command of the Decepticons." Raf answered.

"… You said 'he', right?" Drake glanced at him.

"Yes."

"… 'He'. Look at his feet. Those are some impressive heels for a 'he'." Drake scoffed.

His comment was met with silence.

"… What?" He looked at them. "Has no one else noticed he has heels!?"

***\./*\./\./***

Meanwhile, Joseph had finished his exploring and made his way back to the main hangar, in which he looked around. "… Where are the others?" He looked up at the remaining blue Autobot, who turned in confusion.

"… Slag it." She cursed and commed the rest of the Autobots, asking where the others were. Joseph heard Optimus order her to send a groundbridge, which she quickly obliged his order.

***\./*\./\./***

Joseph had dodged behind a rock as the two incoming groundbridges had caused an explosion. He stood shakily, and shook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness from it; his ears felt like they were stuffed in cotton. After a few moments, he turned and saw the others staring in shock as Bulkhead's foot passed right through Miko. Drake jogged forward.

"… What just happened?" He asked.

"… I think were in some sort of alternate dimension; like a shadowzone." Raf answered.

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension; a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." Drake mused quietly.

This comment was also met with silence.

"… Nevermind." Drake rolled his eyes. All four jumped as they heard thudding footsteps, and saw another winged metal being take a swipe at Bulkhead, only for the strike to pass right through the green mech.

"Uh… guys?" Jack looked at the others. Drake made a split second decision; and probably not a smart one.

"I'll distract him, you three run for it." Drake shot off without another word, catching the attention of the mech with purple optics. Though he knew it probably wouldn't do much, Drake pulled out his pistol and fired a few shots to make sure he was the source of the shambling mech's attention before he dodged down a narrow extension of the canyon.

***\./*\./*\./***

"So they just disappeared?" Joseph leaned on the railway of the catwalk, arms crossed as he looked at Ratchet.

"Well, we obviously can't find them." Arcee said to Joseph, not exactly kindly. Joseph rolled his eyes and looked at Bumblebee when the Camaro beeped a few syllables.

"Call them?" Ratchet raised an optic ridge.

"Why not?" Bulkhead then proceeded to call Miko. There was silence before a ringtone went off, and Joseph spied a pink cellphone on the floor. He jumped off the catwalk and picked it up. "I'll call Drake." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and went to call his brother. He waited until the dial went to voicemail, before ending the call and shaking his head, climbing back up the catwalk.

"Too much interference to really get a call in." Arcee looked at Ratchet, confirming she had tried to call Jack. There was silence as Ratchet continued to try and find out where the other four were when both Joseph and Bulkhead noticed Miko's phone flashing. Joseph flipped it open and read the text.

"… You probably won't believe this, but this text from Jack says they're in another dimension." He looked up. The others all had raised an optic ridge at him, skeptical expressions on their faces.

"It's the only lead we've got." Ratchet set to work trying to find their location.

***\./*\./*\./***

Drake had meanwhile lost the mech in the maze of canyons, and couldn't decide if it was a good or bad thing. He slowed his pace to a jog, panting, and jogged around the corner of part of the extensions of the canyon. To his luck, he spotted the other three humans standing next to a large mechanical arm.

"What'd you do?" He came up behind them.

"There you are!" Miko turned and looked at him.

Drake nodded and took a few deep breaths. "That thing might shamble, but it's pretty fast."

"Well, now its arm is after us." Jack looked around.

"… Its arm?"

"We blasted its arm off with a rocket from this." Miko pointed at the arm.

Drake was silent before shrugging. "Seems legit?"

Raf was about to say something when Drake spotted the same high-heeled mech from earlier, who was missing an arm.

"Can he see us?" Raf asked.

"Don't think so-" Drake was cut off as he spotted an arm at the other side of the canyon, and a rather fast moving one at that. "I think that's the arm you blasted off. And I think we should run!" He turned and ran in the other direction, towards Starscream, pausing to make sure the others kept up. Drake looked ahead of him when he saw a swirling vortex of green and blue; a groundbridge. "Through here!" He called. The four of them sprinted through the groundbridge, past a very startled Starscream, and then beyond him. Drake turned just in time to see the arm that had been chasing them latch on to Starscream's face. When he turned around, he spotted Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead arrive through another groundbridge. The Marine saluted them as he sprinted past through the groundbridge, quickly appearing on the other side in the Autobots' base. Joseph quickly greeted his brother in an awkward man-hug before letting him go and watching the others appear.

"So, alternate dimension?" Joseph raised an optic ridge at his brother.

"Don't look at me. I simply followed them after they started running through that first groundbridge.." Drake pointed to the other three. Both brothers turned to see Optimus looking down at the three youngest.

"You realize how extremely dangerous the situation you placed yourselves in was?" The tall mech asked.

"Look, if you're going to blame anybody, blame me." MIko said.

Jack looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry… could you repeat that? A couple dozen times?"

Optimus was silent before he looked at her. "I believe the experience you went through was punishment enough." He nodded slightly and turned.

"Question; what was that thing?" Drake asked. "That robot that was all… wonky?"

"Skyquake was a Dark Energon infused frame." Ratchet answered. Drake was silent until Miko spoke.

"Basically a zombie." She looked at the dark haired Marine.

"… Seems legit." Drake shrugged and started walking towards the catwalk. Bulkhead nad Miko started discussing the downsides of how she didn't capture any pictures, but that the mental image would be enough.

***\./*\./*\./***

**AN: Again, real sorry for the wait, guys. -u-'**


	3. Operation: Breakdown

**Hallo, me lovelies! Another chapter! And chapter names will be the episodes in which each chapter takes place.**

**Again, please take a look at CatGirlFireflare's amazing stories 'Caterwaul' and its sequel, 'Caterwaul Two: Shattered Sanity'.**

**So, I'm writing this at my grandparents' farm, and one of the barn cats (Who is black and white and I named Jazz after G1. –u-) is deciding whether or not to pounce on my writing hands.**

**REVIEWS~**

**transformerspup246: Seems legit. -u- That will often be used, so be warned. **_**((Drake: Hey, someone had to mention the heels.))**_

**CatGirlFireflare: When it doubt, just assume gypsy magic and hope it works out. Well, Drake just met giant alien transforming robots; he's going to let other strange things slide. And thank you soooo much!**

***\./*\./*\./***

While the three younger humans were at school, Joseph and Drake mainly had the base to themselves, minus the times the Autobots weren't patrolling. Bulkhead was patrolling on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and Arcee and Bumblebee had gone to pick up the others. The brothers had taken advantage of the somewhat empty base (Ratchet and Fowler currently had their backs turned to them, not paying attention) and were wrestling with each other, rolling around on the hanger floor. Drake was winning at the current moment, but a honk distracted them both. Both looked up to see a confused Arcee and Bumblebee, to whom Drake waved innocently at. Joseph took the moment of distraction to his advantage, wrapping his legs around Drake's torso and flipping him onto his back before standing and walking away, dusting himself off.

"Jerk!" Drake waved his fist defiantly at his brother before standing and dusting himself off. Joseph rolled his eyes, even though his brother couldn't see. Drake huffed and got ready to charge after his brother and tackle him when Ratchet announced Bulkhead was returning. Said green mech came in about a minute later, looking very battered and beaten up.

"You look like you got hit by a train." Joseph mused.

"More like a giant hammer." Bulkhead grumbled. Ratchet moved over to repair the mech. "The weird thing is, he knocked me out and when I woke up, he was gone without a trace."

"Maybe he got a groundbridge?" Drake suggested.

"I would've been taken prisoner if he'd had backup." Bulkhead responded.

"So… he poofed into thin air?" Miko asked.

"I believe I have an idea." Fowler spoke up. "My intel's report that M.E.C.H. has been very active in Kamchatka lately."

"Well, let them have him." Arcee snorted

"Yeah; he won't be our problem anymore." Bulkhead added.

Optimus listened to his teammates speak for a bit before adding his own opinion. "We will mount a rescue mission."

"What?" Was the general response of those listening.

"You think he'll change sides if we rescue him?" Bulkhead asked.

"While it's highly unlikely, we cannot allow M.E.C.H. to get a hold of Cybertronian technology." The Prime looked around at his teammates.

"You should go!" Miko pointed at her guardian, who shrugged.

"Eh…"

"I believe you are correct in wanting to stay here." Optimus nodded and then soon left with Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Arcee.

"Aw." Miko huffed.

Joseph thought silently for a bit and then jogged down the stairs, setting off down the hall. Drake vaulted over the catwalk and raced after him, jumping and tackling his brother from behind, which caused the brothers to start to wrestle again to pass the time. What stopped them after a while was the sight of Bulkhead preparing to walk through a groundbridge. Drake pressed Joseph's face into the floor as he jumped to his feet.

"Woah, where're you going?" He asked.

"Russia."

"Mind if I come?" Drake grinned. The green mech looked very unsure until Joseph spoke up.

"You could use some help if you encounter these MECH men; Prime doesn't want you hurting humans, but I'm not sure that counts for us." He shrugged.

"…. Fine." Bulkhead groaned. "But it's your fault if something happens."

"It usually almost always is." Drake grinned. The mech sighed and shifted down to his alt mode, and the brothers climbed in. Joseph tossed a small box of pistol ammo from his jacket pocket, and both brothers loaded their pistols, just in case. After they had passed through the groundbridge, Joseph spotted a car in the distance, the same green and black design that the M.E.C.H. cars had. Bulkhead spotted it at relatively the same moment and silently followed the car to a railway tunnel. Joseph and Drake stepped out, and the mech shifted up, weapons onlined a few seconds later.

"There's a wall up there." Drake said quietly, walking forward and reaching out with his arm to make sure he didn't slam into the wall.

"Stand back." Bulkhead warned the two males, who quickly did as he said. The mech proceeded to break through the wall, startling the M.E.C.H. goons on the other side. Drake and Joseph instantly took up positions by the edges of the ruined wall and shot return fire, making sure only to cripple and not kill. Bulkhead fought the majority of them before breaking through another wall, which was obviously where the majority of the M.E.C.H. henchmen were, along with the captured mech, Breakdown. Joseph quickly took cover behind a stack of crates and hoped they weren't explosive.

Drake spotted a catwalk with multiple monitors on it, and what looked like a control panel. Being closer to it, he took a risk and sprinted across the open space between him and the steps, dodging bullets; he was lucky he hadn't been shot down by now. He sprinted up the stairs, taking three at a time. Once Drake reached the top, he instantly drew his pistol and shot at the man who was in front of the monitor, hitting his wrist and effectively causing him to stop his typing. The gaze of the man next to him instantly locked on Drake. Drake stared back at the man with the scar over his eye. There was a moment of stillness before the man drew a pistol and shot at Drake. The Marine instantly dodged and leapt forward, tackling the man. They both tumbled before Drake was kicked off. He jumped to his feet, pistol aimed at the man. He risked a glance around the room; Bulkhead had freed Breakdown and both were trying to fight their way out. He couldn't spot Joseph, but knew his brother was alright. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the path of the catwalk behind him exploded from a stray blast from one of the Cybertronians. Drake looked back at the M.E.C.H. man just in time to be kicked in the stomach forcefully, which sent him toppling over the edge of the broken catwalk.

***\./*\./*\./***

Time seemed to slow down for Joseph as he watched his brother fall a good fifteen feet from the top of the catwalk. He instantly dove out of his cover, pistol aimed at the man who had kicked his brother, only to find in vain that the man had disappeared. He swore under his breath and concentrated and getting to his brother, who he couldn't spot among the midst of the debris, as more of the catwalk had crumbled. Once he was close enough, he slid into cover behind the rubble and rapidly dug through the rubble when he noticed something. Joseph looked down and his eyes widened in horror as he realized he was kneeling in a large pool of blood. He then frantically started to dig for his brother, and uncovered his hand in a few seconds. Once Joseph uncovered Drake's face, he realized that his brother was nearly unconscious, and the blood wasn't from his head. Joseph hoped the blood was from some poor soul who'd managed to be under the catwalk at the wrong time. But he knew he was wrong the instant he'd dug out Drake's torso from the rubble.

When Drake had fallen, a piece of the piping from the catwalk and landed upward, and said pipe was now imbedded in the lower left of Drake's stomach. The end of the pipe stuck up through Drake's torso, proving to be at least two feet long.

Joseph nearly vomited, but held his stomach. "I'll have to pull you off, Drake." He steeled his nerves and put his arms under Drake's shoulders and waist, pulling him up. Drake let out a shriek of agonizing pain before he was freed from the pipe and went unconscious. As he looked around, he noticed the majority of the M.E.C.H. goons had either fled, left, or were on the ground. Joseph quickly dodged around the bodies, trying not to jolt Drake and cause him more pain. He rushed through the blown apart wall, and nearly ran into Arcee's leg as she was heading through the tunnel; Optimus must have sent her to investigate.

"There you are-" She cut off as she spotted Drake. "What happened?!"

"Just take him; you're faster than I am." Joseph remained level-headed and passed his brother into Arcee's servos, who then turned and sped down the hall. Joseph was just about to follow when a blunt object slammed into his temple and he crumbled to the ground, vision blackening.

***\./*\./*\./***

Drake had instantly been taken back to base, and was then airlifted by a military helicopter (Which Fowler had instantly called from Sector E) to the nearest hospital.

"Does anyone know where Joseph is?" Fowler called from the catwalk.

"He's not here?" Bulkhead asked, confused.

"I just saw him in the railway tunnel." Arcee answered, trying to ignore the fact that her servos were practically covered in Drake's blood.

"Did he make it out?" Optimus asked when the monitor suddenly beeped.

Ratchet turned and his attention was instantly concentrated on the monitor. "It's a video conference."

"From who?" Optimus asked.

"... M.E.C.H." The medic looked at his leader.

The Prime was silent before answering. "Proceed."

The medic nodded and brought up the footage, which showed a very annoyed looking Silas, the leader of M.E.C.H.

"I see you ran off with our… project." The man began. The Autobots and the rest of the humans in the base were silent. "However, we did the same with one of yours." He stepped back to reveal Joseph, who was on his knees, hands tied behind his back.

"I highly suggest you give him back to us before I send the whole military-" Silas cut a very angry Fowler off.

"We will be happy to send your little minion back; on one condition, however. You will send us the required Cybertronian technology we need-"

"_Don't do it!_" Joseph interrupted the man and was rewarded with a bruising kick to the kidney by the M.E.C.H. goon next to him. Silas grimaced at the Marine before looking back at the Autobots through the screen.

"Quite a fighter; we'll see how long that will last." He mused and then his eyes narrowed. "If you do not give us the technology we require, you might as well say goodbye to your soldier and hold his funeral."

"_Don't do it, Optimus!" _Joseph practically snarled before Silas turned around, flipped out a knife, and blocked their view of Joseph. Joseph let out a loud howl of pain before Silas turned around, whipping the bloody knife on his pants; Joseph bled heavily from a large slash from underneath his right eye to his chin, and also bled heavily from his left eye. The guard next to Joseph slammed the butt of his rifle into the Marine's temple, causing him to go limp and unconscious.

"You have ten days." Silas said simply before the video feed cut off.

***\./*\./*\./***

**AN: …. Yeah… *hides in bunker***


End file.
